A father-of-six, nicknamed the 'Fraud of the Skies' after stealing ?25,000 of perfume, alcohol and cigarettes from airlines has been spared prison. 
Keith James, 63, who believed he was terminally ill with bladder cancer, used bank cards with no credit facilities to buy a range of goods while in the air, flying to and from his second home in Spain. 
He realised online transactions could only be processed after planes landed, and so filled his bags with items from the trolley between May 2016 and April 2019.  
Then, after touching down at the airport, he would make a quick getaway before cabin crew downloaded passenger purchases - and found his transactions had been rejected due to 'insufficient funds'.
James, from Wythenshawe, Manchester, would ignore legal letters demanding payment and even kept flying with the same operators but he was eventually arrested at Manchester Airport as he got off a flight from Spain.
He later admitted hundreds of illicit mid-flight transactions for pleasure claiming he wanted to 'get one over' on the banks claiming they were 'keeping customers in debt.' 
He said he had gifted all the stolen items which also included sunglasses and aftershave to his family.

The total amount of goods he stole was worth ?25,556.40.
After admitting eight charges, he avoided jail by being given a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for two years.  





Between May 2016 and April 2019 the married father of six would fill his bags with items from the duty-free trolley





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 James, from Wythenshawe, Manchester, would ignore legal letters demanding payment and even kept flying with the same operators but he was eventually arrested at Manchester Airport as he got off a flight from Spain

Mr Wilson added: 'There was some planning and connivance behind this offending in working out that it would be very difficult for the airline to catch him.

He's deliberately targeted these airlines.
'These are not victimless crimes. People may think a big airline can simply absorb their losses but there's an impact on all of us - raising airfares, airlines employ people locally they buy products and services and pay their taxes and shareholders.'
In mitigation, defence counsel Andy Evans said: 'His wife lives in Spain and he living between two countries to another and this offending was something he did whilst travelling.

His journeys were not deliberately set up to do this. 
'He discovered this fraud by chance when he used a card with insufficient funds when on a flight- he should have ended it there but he didn't.
'At the time he was potentially terminally ill and had a diagnosis of bladder cancer and with that preying on him and he took the decision to continue exploiting this gap in the security systems.
'His targets were the credit card companies not the airlines.

He viewed them as organisations with deep pockets who kept normal citizens in debt and he thought this was something he could do to give him pleasure and get one up on a larger system. 
'It was one or two luxury items at a time then he would gift them to friends and family to lighten the mood of his diagnosis.
'This was not him attempting huge financial gain. It was something which presented an opportunity for him to bring some joy to his family in a bleak time in his life.'
James was also ordered to complete 150 hours unpaid work and was ordered to wear an electronic tag for six months as part of a 7pm-7am curfew.
Sentencing the judge Mr Recorder Nicholas Fewtrell told him: 'You managed to successfully evade capture for some considerable time. 
'Whilst I've listened with care to what has been said about you, the fact is these offences cannot be tolerated.
James will face a Proceeds of Crime hearing in July.





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